This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PurellWipes #CollectiveBias

It has been a LONG and COLD Winter here in Michigan.  This past week's warm up (50 degrees!) has been amazing because we could open up the windows and get some of the germs OUT!  Fingers crossed this weather stays!  The only downfall is looking at the yard after having 2 dogs all winter--yuck.

Being cooped up all winter made me realize how much junk we have accumulated within the past 3 years living in this house.  The girls have outgrown toys and clothes that need to be donated, our holiday decorations are filling up our basement storage area and there is just STUFF everywhere. This year, it's time for a major spring cleaning.  Buh-bye junk.

Although Spring helps get rid of all of the past season's bugs, there's a whole new batch of germs going around.  I swear Gabby will touch anything and everything when she's outside! I know it's good to let kids get dirty for the immune system and all...but this girl likes to put things in her MOUTH!  Last fall we had a leaf incident where she stuffed them UP HER NOSE.  Umm, what a little weirdo!  Since Gabby always has yucky hands and a messy face, I was super excited to hear about new PURELL® Hand Sanitizing Wipes.  They can clean those dirty hands and faces, plus make sure they are sanitized.  The wipes are super soft and come in a handy container perfect for your car or bathroom. SCORE!

There is quite a selection of the PURELL® Hand Sanitizing Wipes at Walmart, but they can be a bit hard to find.  Be sure to look in the cleaning aisle, not by the regular PURELL® hand sanitizer or hand soap.  Gabby and I had to do a bit of searching before we found the wipes!  They come in two different sizes- 35 and 70 count.

I know I'm not the only one who has a Spring spruce up in mind! Thinking of all of the germs that get passed around in the school and I thought our teacher might want to try out these 
PURELL® Hand Sanitizing Wipes, too! In the beginning of the year, we all donated school supplies but I figured the twins' teacher might need a little restock.

Consider a little PURELL® Spring spruce up for your favorite teacher to show you're thinking of them! There are a million different things to include, but here's what we are sending:

• PURELL® Hand Sanitizing Wipes-perfect for dirty post-recess hands
• Tissues- allergy season is coming!
• School Supples: pencils, dry erase markers, sticky notes, glue sticks

You'll be able to save $1 off canisters of PURELL® Hand Sanitizing Wipes NOW, so check them out! Be sure to join the PURELL® Loyalty Program! 

Have you seen new 
PURELL® Hand Sanitizing Wipes in stores yet?  What is the biggest cleaning job you're tackling this Spring?

A video posted by Ashleigh Evans (@itscheapash) on Mar 16, 2015 at 6:33pm PDT

Check out #Ology at Walgreens! {Green + Affordable Cleaning Products!}

By now you should know that I'm not the best at cleaning.  I'll do what needs to be done...but I'm quite messy.  With three little ones running around with toys (if I step on ONE MORE Disney Princess shoe....), our house always has some sort of chaos going on.

When I do clean, I want a product that is as natural as possible.  I use a ton of baking soda + vinegar for drains and sinks.  Since Olivia and Maddie like to help, too, I don't want them spraying harmful chemicals!

Enter Ology from Walgreens.  Mom's Meet sent us some products to try and we are HOOKED.  The prices are amazing BEFORE sales and I love that I can run in and pick up some cleaning products at any of our local stores.

I love the Ology mission too:

We believe in living life well and making positive
choices. That means avoiding toxic ingredients. It means
seeking out sustainable raw materials and including
natural ingredients. It's all about leaving behind a healthier,
happier world for our children and grandchildren.

Now that Gabby is older, we don't use free & clear detergent much, but I LOVED how well the Ology soap cleaned our clothes.  I still added Borax and Purex crystals to the load, but I truly feel the detergent got out various toddler stains better than our normal soap.

Hands down, our favorite product we tried were the paper towels made from sugar cane and bamboo.  Strong, absorbent and the roll lasted almost a week, which never happens! Olivia even commented on our new "bumpier" paper towels when she was wiping the table.

I will definitely be stopping by Walgreens for more than free Almay makeup now!  I really want to try the dish soap and get more of the detergent.  I'll let you know if I see any deals/coupons on my Facebook page!

Have you checked out Ology yet? 

Disclosure: I received product samples from Moms Meet to facilitate my review, but all opinions are my own.

My Platinum: Cascade saves the day! [Sponsored]

“I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Cascade. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.”

Since we mostly cook at home, I feel like I do dishes ALL.DAY.LONG!  In reality, I do!  As much as I try to load up the dishwasher, we still end up running it at least 2 times a day.  Ugh!

Back in the day, watching Jon & Kate Plus Eight, I would get SO annoyed when she used paper plates.  Now as a Mom, I get it.  I can't imagine the dish load with a family of 10!

I love to try all brands and being a coupon user I am not generally brand loyal.  Some things you can't go cheap on, though!  Dish detergent is one! (Ketchup is the other...but that's a whole different story...).

I've tried store brands and they all left streaks or I would have to run half of the dishes again. We also had a period where we had these strange grainy things left on our dishes.  I was actually considering buying a new dishwasher after we moved into our house because nothing would come clean.  Shopping at Target one day, I found a great deal on clearance Cascade action pacs so we switched from Finish. After one load it became clear: our dishwasher worked fine, it was the detergent!  We found out that we have hard water and some detergents don’t work well with that.

Now we are brand loyal to Cascade.  I love the action pacs and it's Olivia's "job" to put it in the dishwasher.  She is obsessed with how they look and I have to remind Gabby daily that they aren’t candy.  I love that no matter who loads the dishwasher, everything comes clean.

(Ricky, I love you, but I do NOT understand how you load the dishwasher...).

Now that I’m a semi-foodie blogger, I need my dishes to look delicious.  I am so happy we chose to register for white plates last year, everything looks so tasty and the colors really pop.  Cascade Platinum has partnered with Gail Simmons from Top Chef (dont you love her?!).  She speaks about the importance of presentation, which I learned a LOT about last weekend at BlogHer Food.  People definitely also eat with their eyes!

Another perk of using Cascade?  The amazing smell when the dishes are drying.  We had the fresh scent and after the dishes ran the kitchen smelled so clean.  Also, it helps keep the inside of the dishwasher deodorized and sanitized.  Bonus! 

Right now Cascade is having a #myplatinum challenge on Instagram (@myplatinum).  You can win a Kitchen Aid makeover and a year of Cascade, as well as two weekly winners get a Whirlpool dishwasher!

(Even though I said earlier that my dishwasher works well, I wouldn’t mind a sparkling new Whirlpool one!)

Make sure to follow me on Instagram while you are checking out the #MyPlatinum challenge! 

 Are you brand loyal for certain things?

Freecycle your junk!

Find a local Freecycle here!

I have written about Freecycle before, but I thought I would remind everyone.  This is the time of year to clean the hidden areas of the house: the basement, attic and garage.  Ugh.  As much as I would like to say I stay organized, I have random boxes still left unopened from our move back in September. 

VHS tapes?  We have them.  Ugly drapes that came with the house?  In the garage.  All sorts of crap. 

Some items we can try to sell at the garage sale, but others I just want to throw away.  Who needs 15 year old vertical blinds?  The funny thing is, someone might be looking for them!

Freecycle is like Craigslist, but everything is FREE.  It's like a hoarder's paradise. You can list items you want to get rid of or list items you are looking for.  It is amazing what people get rid of!  I have even seen working lawnmowers and exercise equipment.

I found someone moving and she was getting rid of all of her garden stuff.  Score!  Now we have pretty clay pots, plant food and all sorts of stuff.  I say "stuff" because, as a novice gardener, I have no idea what they are for!  Foam cones?

We are getting new-to-us couches for the basement and we can finally get rid of the uncomfortable ones that were left in the house.  The fact that they have lasted this long shocks me!  Tomorrow morning I am going to list on Freecycle "free couches" and hopefully someone will pick them up!  This saves us the time and energy of hauling them somewhere or calling for a pickup.  Fingers crossed my plan will work!

* UPDATE: the couches were gone within 3 hours!  So happy! *

The local branch is a Yahoo group and I subscribe to the daily email, so I don't have to remember to check the website.  If something is listed that I am interested in, I simply click to email the person who posted the item.  So breezy!

I also like to laugh at some items posted.  There was a lady for a while who was apparently cleaning out her closet and was listing everything: broken heeled boots, used bras and undies.  No bueno!   Some people don't know when to throw stuff away!

Have you found any gems on Freecycle?  Any newbies, make sure you check it out!

Confessions of a slight hoarder {GIVEAWAY}

JAWS: Just Add Water.  Can't find it around you? Use the code CLEAN for free shipping!

I am finally getting around to my spring cleaning.  Since I am planning on a garage sale this summer, I am trying to sort through years of junk.  Ricky thinks I am a slight hoarder.  I beg to differ, of course.  I only keep things that I could possibly, most likely use in the somewhat near future.  Totally not a hoarder... Plus he still has t-shirts and jerseys from high school which was *ahem* over 10 years ago.  Having the girls doesn't help.  Kids have so many clothes and toys, it's crazy!  So, long story short, I am finally getting around to giving the house a good spring cleaning.

Another thing you may want to know about me is that I really hate cleaning.  I don't mind doing the laundry, but I hate putting it all away.  Same with dishes.  I squeak by doing only the absolutely necessary until Ricky gets fed up enough to clean.  Whoops, my gig is up. Shhh, don't tell Ricky.  In my defense, it is somewhat pointless to try to keep the house spotless with the girls.  They get everything messy in less than 5 minutes.

Anything to make cleaning easier is a big perk for me.  Environmentally friendly is also a big plus now that I have the three little ladies running around.  I don't want to have to worry about something horrible getting into their system! When I was approached by JAWs to review their product (in February...I even procrastinate about writing about cleaning!), I was super excited. 

What is JAWs?  It stands for Just Add Water.  I love the product and I love that it is made in the area (Ohio).  I like to support the small companies as much as I can.

The whole concept is very simple: you get a cool little topper and an empty bottle.  Fill the bottle with water to the line and then add the capsule.  Super easy and I love that you can refill the bottle!  They sent me this wonderful box with 4 different cleaners, along with refills.  There is enough for almost a year!

What types of products do they have?

• Disinfectant/Degreaser (our favorite!)
• Glass Cleaner
• Multipurpose
• Bathroom 

Each is sold for around $5 and you get 2 refills!  Each bottle lasts at least 2 months.

Unfortunately, these products aren't sold (YET) on our side of the state here in Michigan, but they are sold through Amazon and their website.  Right now they have free shipping if you use the code CLEAN.

Here's the best part.  One lucky reader will win the same great kit I received.  You get all 4 cleaners and refills...enough for almost a year of cleaning!  Woohoo!

Enter with the Rafflecopter below.  Good luck and happy cleaning (or procrastinating...)!


a Rafflecopter giveaway